Surgical drainage appliance

ABSTRACT

A surgical drainage appliance adapted to collect body wastes of patients who have had colostomy, ileostomy and ileum bladder operations. The appliance is positively adhered to the skin surrounding the stoma and is adapted to removably hold a disposable waste receptacle having an opening in registration with the stoma. The receptacle may be easily changed without affecting the face plate of the appliance which remains adhered to the patient without the necessity of belts and absorbent pads.

United States Patent 1 Hennessy 51 June 5, 1973 [541 SURGICAL DRAINAGEAPPLIANCE [76] Inventor: Alexander J. Hennessy, 55 Essex St.,

Cambridge, Mass. 02139 [22] Filed: Sept. 21, 1971 [21] Appl. No.:182,467

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No.838,122, July 1,

1969, abandoned.

[52] US Cl. ..128/283 [51] Int. Cl. [58] Field of Search 128/283 [56]References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,639,710 5/1953 Fazio....128/283 2,796,063 6/1957 Smelser ..128/283 FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLlCATlONS 1,021,145 3/1966 Great Britain ..l28/283 PrimaryExaminerCharles F. Rosenbaum Attorney-Joseph Weingarten, Lawrence A.Maxham and Stanley M. Schurzin ABSTRACT A surgical drainage applianceadapted to collect body wastes of patients who have had colostomy,ileostomy and ileum bladder operations. The appliance is positivelyadhered to the skin surrounding the stoma and is adapted to removablyhold a disposable waste receptacle having an opening in registrationwith the stoma. The receptacle may be easily changed without affectingthe face plate of the appliance which remains adhered to the patientwithout the necessity of belts and absorbent pads.

7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures FIG.5

g FIG.6

INVENTOR ALEXANDER J. HENNESSY logy/ (4.

ATTORNE SURGICAL DRAINAGE APPLIANCE CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATEDAPPLICATION This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No.838,l22, filed July 1, 1969 and now abandoned.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to body wastereceptacles and more particularly concerns a novel surgical drainageappliance for colostomies, ileostomies, and the like.

DISCUSSION OF THE PRIOR ART Prior surgical drainage appliances haveprovided means for holding an opening of a flexible bag over theincision or stoma of a colostomy patient, for example, but these deviceshave generally failed to meet one or more of the requirements necessaryto provide an effective appliance capable of being satisfactorily andcomfortably worn for substantial periods of time. Many of the priordevices, while generally satisfactory, do on occasion allow the wastematerial to leak outside of the receptacle. Also some of the priordevices, while having disposable receptacles, are not easily changeablein a sanitary manner and without contaminating the surrounding area.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is the primary object of this invention toprovide a surgical drainage applicance which is fully satisfactory foruse by patients who have had colostomy, ileostomy or ileum bladderoperations and which effectively eliminates the possibility of leakagewhile the device is being worn. At the same time the appliance providesa disposable receptacle which is readily changeable under relativelysanitary conditions. This device is very versatile and may be appliedimmediately after the operation which necessitated the use of such adevice.

This novel drainage appliance is extremely compact and simple, primarilycomprising a face plate and a clamping ring, and is used together with adisposable thin flexible bag receptacle. The bag may be separate or itmay be integral with the clamping ring. It should be noted that a beltis not required because the appliance is positively adhered to thepatient with the result that the device is extremely easy to use, whilethe chances of malfunctions are substantially reduced. There may becases where a patient would prefer to wear a belt to help hold thedevice in place and provisions may easily be made for its use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view showingthe novel drainage appliance described herein in operative position onthe body of a wearer;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken through cutting plane 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an unassembled perspective view of the appliance shown in FIG.1;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the appliance of FIG. 1 without the bagreceptacle;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial sectional view similar to FIG. 2 showingan alternative embodiment; and

FIG. 6 is a partial front view showing a modification to the face platefor attaching a belt thereto.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawing,there is shown a surgical drainage appliance 11 comprising a face plate12 having a central cylindrical projection 18 with an opening 19, acylindrical retaining ring 13, a flexible bag receptacle 14 and aresilient gasket 15. Retaining ring 13 is provided with a plurality ofinterior projections 16 which are intended to mate with. non-continuous,notched threads 17 on the cylindrical projection 18 of face plate 12.The projections 16 and threads 17 are shown constructed so that only apartial turn is necessary to go from full engagement to fulldisengagement of the retaining ring on the mounting cylinder. As littleas one-eighth turn may be sufficient to fully lock the retaining ring inplace. It is possible that a locking device other than threads may beused which provide a positive but easily releasable connection. Whenlocked in place, annular portion 21 of retaining ring 13 is sealed torim 22 of cylindrical projection 18 by means of resilient gasket 15. Bagreceptacle 14 is tightly sealed to the appliance 11 by inserting itsopen top through the opening 23 in retaining ring 13 a sufficientdistance so that the edge of the bag opening extends entirely throughthe retaining ring. The combination bag and retaining ring is thenengaged with cylindrical projection 18 so that gasket 15 is held betweenannulus 21 and rim 22 with the edge of the bag firmly held betweengasket 15 and rim 22. A partial turn of clamping ring 13 then locks andseals the bag, clamping ring and face plate together. The resiliency 0fgasket 15 permits projections 16 to engage the notches 17a in threads 17while still maintaining a tight connection between the bag and theappliance. It is evident that the edge of bag 14 around its accessopening is between the outside of cylindrical projection 18 and theinside of retaining ring 13 and is sealed with respect to face plate 12by gasket 15 bearing upon rim 22.

Flat surface 25 of face plate 12 is normally coated with a pressuresensitive adhesive 26. After the skin 27 around the stoma 31 (see FIG.2) has been properly conditioned, the face plate is pressed against theskin to form a tight wrinkle-free seal therewith. The plate may beadhered to the user either before or after the bag has been attachedthereto. In order to further ensure against possible dislocation of theface plate by being caught on external objects, tape strips 32 may beplaced across the elongated portions of the plate overlapping onto theskin of the wearer. Such tape strips are not absolutely necessary andmay be omitted if desired. Alternatively, with reference to FIG. 6, belt33 having securing elements 34 may be used to give the wearer a greaterfeeling of security. Face plate 12 is then modified by the addition ofpins 35 having enlarged heads. Securing elements 34 on either end ofbelt 33 are formed with slotted openings 36 which readily engage pins 35as show. Other simple attaching means may be used to secure the belt tothe face plate.

This appliance as described above provides a positive, secure,leak-proof connection between the bag receptacle and the stoma of theuser without the need for bacteria-breeding absorbent pads anduncomfortable belts or harness arrangements. When it is desired tochange the bag receptacle, the face plate remains in place on the userand only the retaining ring is loosened, allowing the bag to be easilyremoved and thrown away. It should be noted that the retaining ring andthat portion of the edges of the bag between gasket 15 and the patientare uncontaminated by the waste material and do not become contaminatedwhen the bag is changed. Thus, a used bag receptacle may be exchangedfor a fresh sterilized receptacle in a few seconds without the need forremoval of the face plate and extensive cleaning of the appliance andthe surrounding area. The invention does notnecessarily include the bagreceptacle since such bags are replaceable and to a large extentinterchangeable.

The face plate and retaining ring are preferably made of a semi-rigidplastic or rubber which are very light and do not contribute to thediscomfort of the wearer. The materials of the retaining ring and faceplate may even be made sufficiently flexible so that a resilient gasketis unnecessary. However, where it is desired to use gasket 15, it may besecured to the inner side of rim 21 if desired so that there is nodanger of its becoming lost when the receptacle is changed.

In order to prevent possible abrasion of the skin around the stoma ofthe wearer, it is necessary to properly condition the skin and to usethe proper pressure sensitive adhesive on the face plate. It has beenfound that surface 25 of the face plate may be coated with a siliconspray adhesive as an anchor base for a surgical semi-viscous adhesivecompound which is then spread evenly across surface 25 over the siliconspray adhesive. Similarly, the skin around the stoma is coated with aconditioning substance such as a compound of benzoine tincture and thenthe surgical semi-viscous adhesive is spread on the skin. After a fewminutes, the adhesives are properly conditioned so that the face platemay be pressed in place with the opening through the plate aligned withthe stoma of the user. If desired, the adhesive may be applied to eitherthe face plate or the patient, rather than to both. In any event, theadhesive has the characteristic of remaining flexible so that plate 12may be easily peeled off in the manner of adhesive tape. This inventionis so constructed that the face plate need not be removed for purposesof cleaning the stoma and the skin immediately surrounding the opening,together with opening 19 in cylindrical projection 18.

A feature of the invention is that cylindrical projection 18 protectsthe stoma from contact with and possible injury from foreign materialssuch as various articles of clothing. Another feature is that theappliance has such universal use and versatility in its field that it isreadily adaptable to be made in various sizes for pediatric as well asadult users.

An alternative embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 5. In thispreferred embodiment, face plate 12 with cylindrical projection 18 andinterrupted bayonet type locking thread means 17 are substantially thesame as the embodiment of FIGS. 2-4. Likewise retaining ring 13, gasketl and receptacle 14 are also substantially the same as those previouslyshown. However, in this structure, receptacle 14 does not extend throughring 13 and around cylinder 18 but is fused to ring 13 as shown. Thusthe retaining ring and the receptacle 14 are formed as a unitarystructure which is removably securable to face plate 12. The appropriatepositive seal is provided by gasket 15 as before. Alternatively, anadditional seal may be provided by a second gasket 37 located at thebase of cylinder l8.

Manipulation and use of this embodiment is even easier than thatpreviously described. The bag and retaining ring, being unitary, areattached and discarded together. Securing to the abdomen of the user isexactly the same as for the other embodiment. However, if it shouldhappen that a change is needed but the wearer has no ring/receptacleavailable, it is possible to sepa rate the used receptacle from the ringand use any available plastic bag in the manner shown in FIGS. 2-4. Thisusage is available because the basic elements of the FIG. 5 embodimentare the same as the previously described embodiment.

In view of the foregoing, it is evident that many other modificationswill occur to those skilled in the art which are within the scope ofthis invention. For example, the flat surface 25 of face plate 12 may beslightly concave to fit the contour of the wearers abdomen. Theappliance may be made of many different and economical materials havingvarying characteristics of flexibility. The bag receptacle may be madeof many different materials and have various shapes and sizes to suitits particular use.

What is claimed is: I

l. A surgical appliance adapted to hold a flexible waste receptacle withits open end in alignment with an abdominal stoma, said appliancecomprising:

a unitary face plate formed with a central opening and an integralcylindrical projection extending forwardly therefrom in alignment withsaid central opening and forming a smooth continuous opening completelythrough said face plate, the external wall of said cylindricalprojection being formed with releasable interrupted thread engagingmeans, the forward rim of said cylindrical projection beingsubstantially planar;

a retaining ring having releasable engaging means on its inner surfaceconfigured to engage said interrupted thread engaging means on saidcylindrical projection, said face plate and retaining ring beingengageable and disengageable with a fraction of a revolution of one withrespect to the other, said retaining ring having an annular portionprojecting radially inwardly on vits forward end integrally formedtherewith, said annular portion having a substantially planar rearwardsurface; and

a first resilient gasket disposed between said annular portion and saidforward rim;

said gasket providing a seal between said appliance and said wastereceptacle when said respective engaging means are mutually and fullyengaged.

2. The surgical appliance recited in claim 1 wherein said wastereceptacle and said retaining ring are secured together to form aunitary structure.

3. The surgical appliance recited in claim 2 wherein said releasableengaging means on said cylindrical projection are non-continuous threadshaving indentations along their lower sides intermediate their ends,said releasable engaging means on said retaining ring are relativelysmall rounded projections adapted to engage the lower surface of saidnon-continuous threads and to be received and seated in saidindentations when said engaging means are mutually and fully engaged tolock said retaining ring, resilient gasket and flexible waste receptacleto said face plate.

4. The surgical appliance recited in claim 1 wherein the open end ofsaid waste receptacle extends through said retaining ring and resilientgasket projecting rearreceived and seated in said indentations.

6. The surgical appliance recited in claim 3 and further comprisingadhesive means for providing a substantially fluid-tight seal betweensaid face plate and the abdomen of a person.

7. The surgical appliance recited in claim 2 and further comprising asecond resilient gasket around said cylindrical projection at theintersection with said face plate, said second resilient gasket beingengaged by the rearward rim of said retaining ring.

1. A surgical appliance adapted to hold a flexible waste receptacle withits open end in alignment with an abdominal stoma, said appliancecomprising: a unitary face plate formed with a central opening and anintegral cylindrical projection extending forwardly therefrom inalignment with said central opening and forming a smooth continuousopening completely through said face plate, the external wall of saidcylindrical projection being formed with releasable interrupted threadengaging means, the forward rim of said cylindrical projection beingsubstantially planar; a retaining ring having releasable engaging meanson its inner surface configured to engage said interrupted threadengaging means on said cylindrical projection, said face plate andretaining ring being engageable and disengageable with a fraction of arevolution of one with respect to the other, said retaining ring havingan annular portion projecting radially inwardly on its forward endintegrally formed therewith, said annular portion having a substantiallyplanar rearward surface; and a first resilient gasket disposed betweensaid annular portion and said forward rim; said gasket providing a sealbetween said appliance and said waste receptacle when said respectiveengaging means are mutually and fully engaged.
 2. The surgical appliancerecited in claim 1 wherein said waste receptacle and said retaining ringare secured together to form a unitary structure.
 3. The surgicalappliance recited in claim 2 wherein said releasable engaging means onsaid cylindrical projection are non-continuous threads havingindentations along their lower sides intermediate their ends, saidreleasable engaging means on said retaining ring are relatively smallrounded projections adapted to engage the lower surface of saidnon-continuous threads and to be received and seated in saidindentations when said engaging means are mutually and fully engaged tolock said retaining ring, resilient gasket and flexible waste receptacleto said face plate.
 4. The surgical appliance recited in claim 1 whereinthe open end of said waste receptacle extends through said retainingring and resilient gasket projecting rearwardly thereof and around saidcylindrical projection, both said resilient gasket and said wastereceptacle being firmly sealed between said forward rim and said annularportion when said respective engaging means are mutually and fullyengaged.
 5. The surgical appliance recited in claim 4 wherein saidreleasable engaging means on said cylindrical projection arenon-continuous threads having indentations along their lower sidesintermediate their ends, said releasable engaging means on saidretaining ring are relatively small rounded projections adapted toengage the lower surface of said non-continuous threads and to bereceived and seated in said indentations.
 6. The surgical appliancerecited in claim 3 and further comprising adhesive means for providing asubstantially fluid-tight seal between said face plate and the abdomenof a person.
 7. The surgical appliance recited in claim 2 and furthercomprising a second resilient gasket around said cylindrical projectionat the intersection with said face plate, said second resilient gasketbeing engaged by the rearward rim of said retaining ring.